June sales and use tax report shows 4.8 percent increase

LOVELAND -- The reopening of a Walmart store in south Fort Collins didn't put a noticeable dent in Loveland's sales tax revenue the first month it was open.

In fact, the general merchandise category in which the city of Loveland counts Walmart sales showed a larger increase in May than in the previous few months.

The city's monthly sales and use tax report for June, which records purchases made in May, shows a 4.8 percent rise in sales tax revenue on general merchandise for the month compared with May 2012.

"It's a nice little increase," said city finance director Brent Worthington. "It's a good sign that that category is still increasing."

When Walmart opened its new Supercenter at 250 W. 65th St. in north Loveland in September 2007, it closed the south Fort Collins store just 4.6 miles away at 4625 S. Mason St.

The Fort Collins store, remodeled and expanded, reopened on April 24 of this year. May was the first full month of sales there.

Worthington said city officials don't place too much stock in month-to-month changes in tax revenue.

"The natural variability of industry reporting month over month is fairly volatile," he said. "Year to date ... if trends are building, that's what we look at most closely."

Anyway, he said, "the market does what it does."

Overall, sales tax revenue in Loveland is staying on a consistent track of beating last year's collections.

Advertisement

The June report shows a 4.5 percent increase over the same month a year ago. For the first six months of 2013, Loveland's take is 6.9 percent higher than in the same period a year ago.

Both numbers, however, are a bit of a slowdown from previous months.

When the use taxes that are collected on out-of-town purchases of automobiles and building materials are figured in, the increase is 4.7 percent over the same month last year and 8 percent higher year to date than last year.

So far this year, Loveland has collected $20.1 million in sales and use taxes, compared with a year-to-date figure from 2012 of $18.6 million.

Geographically, stores and restaurants in Centerra west of the outlet mall are showing the largest increase -- up 15 percent so far this year.

Downtown sales tax collections are running 10.3 percent ahead of last year and the big-box-heavy southeast Loveland zone is up 7.7 percent year to date.

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story